


Glass Walls

by UselessLilium (o0whitelily0o)



Series: Hunger Games AU [3]
Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Background Shiranui/Kazumi, Gen, Hunger Games-Typical Death/Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 09:29:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16037687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o0whitelily0o/pseuds/UselessLilium
Summary: It's time for his brother's Hunger Games, and Kazumi has to come to terms with the limitations of how much help he can give.





	Glass Walls

From the moment you realized you what you had to do to Shiranui this year, you knew it would be unforgivable. You couldn’t even explain why you couldn’t help him, after all. You know how much his trainees mean to him. How devoted he is to helping them. It isn’t that you think he’d be unsympathetic, but you can’t imagine that sympathy being strong enough that he would willingly sacrifice his own tributes for your sake.

You don’t hold any of that against him. That dedication and care is something you love about him, after all. It’s just... for the best. You’d rather he simply hate and be done with you, then put him in a position where he’d have to knowingly act against you. Against your little brother.

Besides, if there’s no going back, then there’s no point in dwelling on it either. All that’s left to you is to get to work as soon as possible. Once you’ve spoken to Chrono Shindou and Kouji Ibuki, and made sure they wouldn’t turn your help away, you throw yourself into the campaign. You know do how things work quite well by now. No one can pledge financial support until the Games begin, but establishing a solid foundation of popularity before that is crucial. There’s already plenty of pre-Game parties being thrown - you just need to get as many people as you can to look at Kazuma. To see him, and want to see more of him.

“He’s rather... unassuming, wouldn’t you say?”, one of your former classmates comments, when you tell him which tribute’s your ‘personal favorite’ this year. You suppose you can’t blame him. However Kazuma might be feeling, he’s kept up a good show of indifference from the moment his name was called. It worries you. But you have to spin it.

“Not at all. I’d say his stoicism is a promising sign,” you say, laughing lightly.

He raises an eyebrow at you, but turns back to the screen and looks more closely at Kazuma’s profile. “You think?”

“Of course. Remember last year? Some of the most impressive fighters have kept up that attitude right into the Games.” Silently, you apologize to Kurenai for using her as an example. “I’m certain he’s going to surprise quite a few people once he’s actually in the arena.”

“Huh...” For a moment, he just keeps eyeing Kazuma. Then, his lips twitch up into a smile. “Well, I suppose you would know pretty well by now. I’ll have to keep an eye on him.”

You let yourself feel a moment of relief at the small victory, and once there’s an opening, excuse yourself to move on to the next person.

It’s only after several hours of this, once the party’s started winding down, that Miguel quietly ushers you towards one of the empty rooms and asks, “Kazumi, is everything alright?”

You keep smiling, of course, tilting your head and asking, “What do you mean?”

He puffs his cheeks out, a childhood habit he’s yet to give up. “Come on, you think I wouldn’t notice something’s strange? First you and Shiranui break up out of the blue, and now you’re asking to stay over, and-”

There isn’t a flicker of change in your voice or expression when you ask, simply, “Is that a problem? I could ask someone else, if it is.”

The blunt way you put it seems to throw him off. He looks down, rubbing the back of his head. “No, of course it’s no problem. But...” He bites his lower lip, and then leans in closer to you and, with an almost exaggerated hush, asks, “I’m just worried. You know if something’s going on, you can tell me, right?”

Despite yourself, your expression softens. It’d be nice, if you could tell. Miguel is one of two people you think you might be able trust with knowing about Kazuma. But the more who know, the more who’ll be at risk if anything slips out before the Games are over. So you just shake your head. “No, there’s nothing going on. Things just didn’t work out with Shiranui, that’s all, so I wanted some time to myself.” You smile again, hoping it looks more convincing than it feels. “Please, Miguel, don’t worry about this.”

“If you say so.” He sighs, putting his hands on his hips. “But I don’t think Verno’s gonna accept a vague answer like that. Better think of something more convincing before you see her.”

That does get an actual laugh out of you. “I’ll try.”

 

* * *

 

When the Games begin, so does your real work. You did have some impact pre-game, and Kazuma managed to get a fairly good training score, but he still hasn’t fully shaken off that first indifferent impression. Fortunately, Chrono came up with a good strategy for the District 5 tributes. Kazuma acting as Kumi Okazaki’s protector is shaping up to be just what he needed to get more positive attention.

But despite your efforts to stay on subject, you find a lot of people mostly come up to you to ask about Shiranui. “So, is he really back on the market now?”, one of the older regulars says, “I thought you were never going to give him up.”

You keep your smile steady, and just say, “I’m afraid I can’t speak for him on that matter.”

A woman with him laughs, and says, “Oh, don’t tease him so much. Everyone gets too invested in their first.” Then she glances towards the door, and you feel the temperature in the room drop when you notice Shiranui’s walked in. You’ve been trying to avoid him, but of course, he keeps going to the lounges and halls he’s familiar with. The ones you introduced him to. But you can’t just run away and give up on the progress you’ve made here either. So you just keep your eyes off him as much as possible, focus on the other attendants. The woman sighs a little. “It is too bad, though. They’re so cute when they first win, and then before you know it, they get all cynical and fussy. I don’t blame you for wanting someone new.”

At this point, it’s more natural for you to keep your irritation and anger bottled up than let it show. There’s no point, you remind yourself. Refuting their assumptions will only make things worse. The last thing you want is for anyone to spend any time wondering about your motivations.

Then the woman turns and smiles, like you two share a secret. “I saw the boy from District 5 you keep talking about, by the way. No wonder you picked up on him so early, I never would have figured him to be so gallant.” She winks. “But it’s always easier to spot your type, huh?”

Somehow, you manage to laugh. The sound feels far away, and you don’t really feel it. You wonder if Shiranui heard. It’s crowded, maybe he didn’t. You’re sure he suspects something along those lines already, but you still... you don’t want to have to confirm it. The truth is bad enough, anyway. Even if Kazuma’s not a replacement the way they assume, at the end of the day, you really didn’t treat Shiranui any differently than these people would have. Having fun with him when it was convenient, and throwing him away when it wasn’t. You shouldn’t have gotten so involved with him from the start, not as long as there was even a possibility of Kazuma’s name being called.

Looking at the people around you now, still laughing and chatting, you don’t even want to think about what’s going to happen after the Games if by some miracle you manage to pull Kazuma through to safety. You’re sure Chrono and Ibuki will protect him the best they can, but listening to the way these people talk, you don’t know if that’s going to be enough. If anything’s ever going to be enough.

But those worries are all behind one devastating ‘if’. Right now, you only have one thing you need to be afraid of. And before you leave the conversation, you manage to get that woman and her friend to pledge donations.

 

* * *

 

Kazuma’s on the screen, caught in a surprise attack that separated him from Okazaki. You haven’t breathed since it began. You can’t, you can’t even blink, if you do, you’re sure that’s the moment he’ll lose the struggle for the knife, any second he’s going to slip and-

And they both fall, rolling down a hill, and you can’t keep track of who’s holding what anymore, until suddenly the boy on top of Kazuma lets out an agonized cry that turns choked and watery, before finally going limp. You’re still watching, not quite daring to believe it, as Kazuma crawls out from under him, gasping and covered in blood and sweat.

Your vision starts to blur and you think you say something to Chrono, before standing and hurrying to the bathroom before you lose what little food you’d made yourself eat earlier. It was so _close_. You’re sobbing, in relief and pain as you continue to heave despite nothing being left inside you. It was so close, it could have been him, bleeding and crying out until there’s nothing left in him. And you still tell yourself, you have to get over it. You have to get back out there and watch, and figure out if there’s anything you can do for him, but you can’t stand. There’s no strength in your legs.

Taking a few deep breaths and running a hand over your face, you let the last fews waves of nausea pass through you before trying to move. You still feel light-headed, but you think your little episode is over at least. Swallowing, you clean up your mess and head back out.

Chrono’s waiting just outside the door. “Hey, you alright?”

You sigh, rubbing your forehead and nodding. “Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- to make a scene like that.”

“Don’t worry about that. Here, you should probably drink this.” He hands you a glass of water. You thank him quietly, and take a few careful sips, in case it triggers anything again. After a couple of seconds, Chrono says, “He really does mean a lot to you, huh?"

What else can you do? You nod weakly, not daring yourself to try to put into words just how much.

"But, you know... that kind of reaction is pretty normal. This isn’t something anyone just gets used to.”

He’s saying it gently, but you know what he means. You drop your eyes, rub your finger against the glass in your hands uneasily, and say, “...There’s a Quarter Quell coming up in a few years. I’m sure you know.” Chrono blinks at the apparent subject change, but doesn’t interrupt. “Sometime last year... I was at a party, and everyone was trying to guess what the twist would be for it. And someone... someone suggested reaping Victors again. As a ‘reunion’ sort of.”

Chrono flinches visibly then, eyes widening with anger. “You think they would...?”

“I don’t know. A lot of people got very upset with just the suggestion. But... it’s plausible.” You keep your eyes down, and try not to tighten your grip on the glass any more. You’re worried about breaking it. “At the time, all I could think about was what if they sent Shiranui back in. And now-” What if Kazuma does get through this Game? What if he and Shiranui are _both_ reaped for one of the Quells? And if it’s not Kazuma, then it could be Chrono, who’s been so patient and kind to you when he doesn’t have to be. Or even Ibuki - you don’t know him as well, but you know he and Chrono are close. You don’t want either of them to have to lose each other.

“If they don’t do it for the upcoming Quell,” you say, pressing the back of your hand against your eye, rubbing the start of some exhausted tears away, “They could still do it for the next one. Or the one after that. Fifty, seventy-five, even a hundred years, and there’s still... no guarantee...”

You take a moment and force your eyes back to the screen. Your little brother isn’t being shown anymore, so he must be out of danger. Slowly, you let out a breath. “There’s no end to it. Even if he gets through this one, there’s... never really going to be an end,” you say very quietly, “I know I don’t understand everything your people have been through. I don’t presume to. But, at least that much, I do.”

For a moment, Chrono just looks at you. Then he nods, and says softly, “Yeah, I guess you do.” It’s not a very pleasant camaraderie. But it’s better than none at all, you suppose. You take another sip of water, and he says, hesitantly, “Hey, Kazumi...” But when you look at him, he seems to think better of it and just shakes his head. “No, sorry. Nevermind.”

“Is something wrong?”

He pauses, and just says, “No, it’s just... something I shouldn’t talk about without Kouji, that’s all.” You tilt your head a little, but he just gives you a tired smile. “For now, why don’t we send Kazuma something, okay? Fighting like that, the adrenaline takes a lot out of you. He could use something to eat to keep him from crashing.” You nod, feeling a little better to have something concrete you can do for your brother.

You can’t think about the future, but there’s one thing you’re certain of; whatever happens, Kazuma will always come first to you. Getting too attached to Chrono and the other members of District 5 will only make things harder for everyone in the long run, the way getting involved with Shiranui did. You know that... but when Chrono’s kind to you, you still want so badly to repay it. To figure out some way you could be allowed to.

**Author's Note:**

> ...And then Chrono asks the rest of rebellion if he can recruit Kazumi.


End file.
